Postal mailboxes (i.e., mailboxes) of various types and configurations are well known. The underlying intent of such mailboxes is enabling mail to be conveniently and securely delivered and contained within the mailbox. To this end, conventional mailboxes include any number of functionalities that are intended to enhance the manner in which such delivery and containment of mail is accomplished.
Dual door mailboxes, which are well known, are one example of mailboxes that include functionality that is intended to enhance the manner in which delivery and containment of mail is accomplished. Such mailboxes have a first door at a first end and a second door at a second end. In regions utilizing mailboxes located adjacent to an edge of a roadway, a mail recipient having the dual door mailbox does not have to leave enter the roadway or shoulder area of the roadway to either place outgoing mail into or retrieve delivered mail from the mailbox. To make best use of such a dual door mailbox, the mailbox is mounted such that the first door is adjacent the roadway, thereby enabling a mail carrier to conveniently deposit mail into an interior space of the mailbox either while in a mail delivery vehicle. In such a mounted orientation, the second door faces away from the roadway. Accordingly, the mail recipient simply opens the second door to gain access to an interior space of the mailbox, allowing them to remain at a relatively safe distance from the roadway.
While such conventional dual-door mailboxes clearly offer advantages from a safety standpoint, they are not without shortcomings. One shortcoming is that, in the event that both doors of a dual-door mailbox are fully or partially open at the same time, wind may blow mail out of the mailbox because the floor is essentially level with the bottom edge of each door. Another shortcoming is the expense and complexity associated with implementing a means for ensuring that only one door is open at a time and/or ensuring that the doors are normally biased to a closed position. Still another shortcoming is that, because the floor of a conventional dual door mailbox is essentially level with the bottom of the doors, the volume of the mailbox is limited to a space above the bottom edge of the doors.
Mailboxes with one or more see-through windows in the mailbox body or a door of the mailbox or with one or more see-through walls are well known in the art and are another example of mailboxes that include functionality that is intended to enhance the manner in which delivery and containment of mail is accomplished. The intent of the one or more see-through windows or walls is to allow contents of the mailbox to be viewed prior to opening or otherwise disturbing the mailbox. As mentioned above with respect to dual door mailboxes, a shortcoming of single-door or dual-door mailboxes is that, because the floor of a conventional single-door or dual-door mailbox is essentially level with the bottom of the door or doors, the volume of the mailbox is limited to a space above the bottom edge of the door or doors. A related shortcoming is that overall visibility of relatively objects being viewed through the one or more see-through windows or walls is adversely impacted because of the relative vertical position of the one or more see-through windows with respect to a package resting on the floor of the mailbox. Inherently, for relatively large and/or tall packages, a relatively limited view of upper portion of the packages through the one or more see-through windows is often exhibited.
Therefore, a postal mailbox that that overcomes shortcomings associated with conventional postal mailboxes would be useful and advantageous.